Sen. Feinstein hosting 2014 Lake Tahoe Summit

Leading politicians from California and Nevada will be dropping by Lake Tahoe next week to talk about climate change and more at the 18th annual Lake Tahoe Summit.

“Drought, Wildfire, and Invasive Species: Confronting the Effects of Climate Change on Lake” is the theme of this year’s summit, which will be held at Valhalla Estate on Aug. 19 from 10 a.m. to noon.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein will host the event, with California Gov. Jerry Brown delivering the keynote address. Other speakers will include Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Sen. Dean Heller, Congressman Mark Amodei, Congressman Tom McClintock and Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval.

Those speakers will be followed by a panel that will include North Lake Tahoe Fire District Chief Mike Brown, Tahoe Environmental Research Center Director Geoff Schladow and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Executive Director Joanne Marchetta.

Brown will speak on the fuels work being done in the basin to address wildfire risk, Schladow will discuss work being done to prevent the spread of invasive species in the lake and Marchetta will talk about TRPA’s regional plan update and restoration work.

Restoring and sustaining Lake Tahoe’s treasured environment has been a major focus of federal, state and local leaders who have attended the yearly event since the Presidential Forum in 1997.

Among other things, the annual summit highlights the restoration work carried out through the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program, said Julie Regan, external affairs chief for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.

“Continuing the commitment to Lake Tahoe’s restoration is even more challenging in the face of reduced funding, climate change, and other threats,” she added.

This year’s summit is free and open to the public. But since on-site parking will be limited, organizers are encouraging guests to use a complementary shuttle service to and from the summit. A bicycle valet service will also be available.

For more information or to register online, go to www.tahoefund.org/2014summit.