Seeking clarity at Lake Tahoe

There is good news and bad news for Lake Tahoe in a couple of recent studies on the environment, although we'd like to take the optimistic view and say both studies are reasons for hope.

The bad news first: The Tahoe Research Group of the University of California, Davis concludes that odds for reintroduction of the Lahontan cutthroat trout are slim.

The Lahontan cutthroat is a native of Lake Tahoe, but overfishing and habitat destruction wiped it out there by 1939. Since then, the food chain has changed dramatically in the lake's blue waters.

Lake trout are now the dominant species, and would probably eat any Lahontan cutthroats introduced there, according to the report.

The other problem is freshwater shrimp, which feed on the same water fleas that would supply Lahontan cutthroats.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service isn't ready to give up on the idea yet, though. Its researchers are taking the long view -- at least 20 years down the road. "Who knows what can happen to the food chain in 20 years," a spokeswoman said.

The possibility of reintroducing Lahontan cutthroats remains a worthwhile endeavor at Lake Tahoe. It's part of the effort to undo the harm that mankind has done to the lake.

That's why the second study, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, contains a sliver of encouragement for the long-term health of Lake Tahoe.

Computer models of the streams flowing into the lake project a decrease in sediment over the next 50 years -- a good sign for the lake's famed clarity.

At barely 60 feet, the clarity has a long way to go before it reaches the goal of 97 feet, something that hasn't been seen in more than 30 years. Whether that stunning view into the lake's deep waters will return in our lifetimes, we can only hope.

Indications are that the work of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency may be paying off, by minimizing not only new development but the effect it has on releasing sediment into the lake.

The methods and techniques of the TRPA have given it a bad reputation, in many cases a deserving one. If the goal of preserving Lake Tahoe is kept clearly in focus, however, the agency can go down in history as the difference maker.

Remember, the value of Lake Tahoe lies not in the real estate around it, but in its singular beauty.