Lake Tahoe being loved to death

Like so many things in this world of ours, Lake Tahoe is being loved to death.

There was a brief debate between commissioners Walt Nowosad and Wes Rice last week on whether Lake Tahoe is overpopulated or not.

Nowosad trotted out the quote from Fodor’s Travel, “Lake Tahoe has a people problem,” in citing overpopulation.

He then said that the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency isn’t doing enough to slow growth in the Basin.

That might be one of the first times since the TRPA was founded that a Douglas County commissioner has criticized the agency for not being strict enough.

The discussion came up over the nomination of Zephyr Cove resident Garth Alling for a position on the TRPA’s advisory planning board. Commissioners decided to seek additional candidates for the position, though the TRPA governing board has the final say.

Alling, who has served on the panel for six years and called Tahoe home for 45 years, appeared surprised by Nowosad’s statement.

Rice pointed out that getting a permit to build a home practically requires an act of Congress.

The Fodor’s Travel advisory to give Lake Tahoe a break was very much related to tourism, and if the “Filth of July” wasn’t sufficient to support that contention, nothing is.

Lake Tahoe is a tourist destination where people also are trying to live.

That puts anyone working at Lake Tahoe in a bind. All those people coming, whether on vacation, or just to enjoy the Lake for a day are their bread and butter.

If there wasn’t a giant lake sitting within two hours of a huge population center, there wouldn’t be nearly the attraction.

And all those people living in what are going to be scorching hot valleys this summer on either side of the Sierra may well get in their vehicles and make that two-hour run in order to experience a little cool air.

What they’ll find when they get there is likely to be too crowded to be much of a getaway.