W e l c o m e

Welcome to the home page of the Restore the Upper Truckee River Project, California State Parks (CSP) Reach, near South Lake Tahoe, California . The purpose of this site is to provide information, updates, and downloadable documents as part of a multi year planning process that will determine a preferred alternative for restoring a 1.5-mile reach of the river near Meyers, California , as well as to provide information on other resource management activities in the parks.

The Upper Truckee is the largest river that flows into Lake Tahoe, and also the biggest producer of sediment. The river has been negatively impacted by historic disturbances and modern development and has been targeted for restoration.

Golf course fairways extend to the edge of the river resulting in lack of a buffer zone and no riparian habitat. This photograph shows eroding banks and failed rock stabilization along the Upper Truckee River.

CSP owns two contiguous units along the Upper Truckee River . The property that is now Washoe Meadows State Park (WMSP) and Lake Valley State Recreation Area (LVSRA) was acquired to protect wet meadows and floodplain habitat in the mid 1980s.

Because the golf course already existed, the area was divided into two units to provide for the continued operation and management of LVSRA for golf recreation.

The park units were subjected to a number of disturbances prior to acquisition by CSP. The glacial terrace was mined for gravel (borrow pits), the meadows were grazed, sewer lines, railroad grades, roads and dirt race tracks altered drainage patterns and disturbed vegetation,

The forests were logged, leaving a myriad of roads and skid trails. Lack of natural fire coupled with drought and infestation have also led to decline in forest health. Prior to the 1940s, this section of the river was straightened, leading to down-cutting, loss of connectivity to the floodplain and degradation of habitat.

The river is still adjusting to this disturbance today as evidenced by unnaturally high erosion rates.

The golf course was built on the previous floodplain/meadow area in 1958-1960, further degrading habitat as several of the holes are located along the river's edge. State parks has completed, or is in the process of doing, a variety of resource management and restoration projects in these units.

CSP has an ongoing forestry management program to improve forest health and reduce fire hazard . Also ongoing is the road and trail program to decrease erosion and impacts by improving drainage and layout of routes to be kept and restoring areas where routes are to be removed.

More recently, CSP has started a riparian hardwoods improvement project to restore and enhance aspen stands and other riparian vegetation by selectively removing invading conifer forests. Besides the ongoing forestry and road projects, state parks has implemented a number of stream and habitat restoration projects .

One of the old borrow pits was restored and two restoration projects were completed along Angora Creek to restore natural function to both the stream and surrounding meadow habitat. CSP has also installed a number of spot treatments to stabilize badly eroding banks of the Upper Truckee River, but with little success since the problem is systemic and requires a geomorphic approach. Currently CSP is in the process of planning for possible restoration of the Upper Truckee River , which may include changes to the golf course.

Parks is guided in its management and activities by its mission: The mission of CSP is to provide for the health, inspiration, and education of the people of California by helping to preserve the state's extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural and cultural resources, and creating opportunities for high-quality outdoor recreation .  

Thus the project should balance both resource values and recreational uses. The purpose of the project is to restore natural geomorphic and ecological processes of this reach of the river in order to reduce the flow of nutrients and suspended sediments flowing into the lake, while still providing recreation access which currently includes both dispersed uses such as hiking, jogging and mountain biking as well as golf recreation (18 hole regulation course).

The alternatives being considered are as follows:  

Alternative 1: No Project/No Action: Existing River and 18-hole Regulation Golf Course : Golf course, river and site would remain unchanged

Alternative 2: River Ecosystem Restoration with Reconfigured 18-hole Regulation Golf Course: Restore river, remove several holes from meander belt and relocate to higher capability lands, requiring a boundary adjustment and land exchange between the two units The number of acres restored along the river would be approximately the same as the number of acres onto which the golf course would be relocated.

Alternative 3: River Ecosystem Restoration with Reduced-Play Golf Course: Restore the river and reduce the golf area, with all golf on the east side of the river.

Alternative 4: River Stabilization (in place) with Existing 18-hole Regulation Golf Course: Stabilize existing river banks and keep golf course unchanged.

Alternative 5: River and Meadow Ecosystem Restoration / Decommissioned Golf Course : Restore the river and remove the golf course. Parks is also investigating the potential for off-site relocation of the golf course.