Feinstein to be the keynote speaker at the League to Save Lake Tahoe dinner

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE - U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., will be the keynote speaker at the League to Save Lake Tahoe's annual dinner and meeting Saturday.

The League to Save Lake Tahoe, which has been an advocate for Tahoe's environmental issues for more than 40 years, is the oldest environmental watchdog in the basin.

"We are delighted that our members will have an opportunity to hear Sen. Feinstein speak since she is such a strong advocate for the protection of Lake Tahoe," said Rochelle Nason, the League's executive director.

Feinstein is a sponsor of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act, a Senate bill that, if passed, would bring $30 million a year to the Lake Tahoe Basin for the next 10 years for environmental improvements. The bill, which is supported by the Clinton administration, has been passed by both house of representative and senate committees and is on its way to a vote on both congressional floors.

The bill is a key funding source for the $908 million Environmental Improvement Program to save Lake Tahoe's fading clarity, which has been declining at a rate of more than a foot each year over the last 30 years.

The League's meeting begins at 4 p.m. at Plumpjack's in the Squaw Valley Inn with a presentation from guest speaker Charles Goldman, Ph.D., and director of the Tahoe Research Group of the University of California, Davis. Dinner begins at 6 p.m. and tickets cost $55. Call the League at (530) 541-5388 for details.