Stewardship learning program (Pilot Program that becomes the tourism model)
Educate a Dedicated Team of "Lake Rangers" who understand...
1) Unique Carrying Capacity (UC Davis already has lake science programs ready to lead)
2) Indigenous Wisdom (Dr. Lisa Grayshield - Washoe college professor and author is ready to lead)
3) Sustainability Principles (Geotourism or other principles are available and ready to lead)
4) TriNomics (.com/business, .gov/government and .org/NGO collaboration critical for buy-in, funding and adoption)
5) new Career paths paid with housing to ensure willing 'Rangers' can lead this effort into their future
6) Creating a Sustainable Travel Adventure Network (online portal of geotourism activities sponsored by 'green' businesses)
1) Unique Carrying Capacity (UC Davis already has lake science programs ready to lead)
2) Indigenous Wisdom (Dr. Lisa Grayshield - Washoe college professor and author is ready to lead)
3) Sustainability Principles (Geotourism or other principles are available and ready to lead)
4) TriNomics (.com/business, .gov/government and .org/NGO collaboration critical for buy-in, funding and adoption)
5) new Career paths paid with housing to ensure willing 'Rangers' can lead this effort into their future
6) Creating a Sustainable Travel Adventure Network (online portal of geotourism activities sponsored by 'green' businesses)
Why?....(Tahoe’s Challenges)
- Tahoe’s sensitive watershed requires travelers make responsible choices that sustain or enhance the destination.
- Visitors (current) menu (although improving) still requires billions in ongoing mitigation, restoration and clean-up
- Regional Disconnect: Two states; six counties; numerous city and governmental agencies, NGO’s and businesses often have opposing goals making them compete vs. collaborate (also improving).
- Dr. Goldman's 60 years of Lake research (UC Davis Tahoe Science Center) demonstrated how our choices in recreation, transportation and construction contribute to the degradation of the water quality. Reference: 2010 State of the Lake Report. The 2010 TRPA Environmental Improvement Program exposes the cost to mitigate the public's footprint - $1.4Billion. Costs are expected to exceed $2.45B in the next ten years.
The Lakes solution (all our programs guided by the wisdom in the water)
- Train a Dedicated Team of " Lake Rangers" to Co-create a 21st Century 4-season Stewardship Recreation Menu
Sustainable Tahoe produced 4 Geotourism Expos so locals and visitors could to "test-drive" a 21st Century (transit) menu of fun, informative activities to promote visitor satisfaction, inspire longer stays and exciting stories increasing popular demand. Increasing "Visitor Satisfaction" is a “High Priority Action” section of the 2010 Lake Tahoe Basin Prosperity Plan (LTBPP) Final Report (pg. 57-79). - How the Lake Wins...by inspiring Visitors to become Stewards
People CARE about things they feel CONNECTED to and SHARE at that level of caring. Imagine taking a kayak tour through a marshland with a biologist, deepening your relationship to the ecosystem at work. Or, planting Sugar pine seedlings, to contribute a healthy forest in the future. Immersive adventures hosted with inspired stewardship is how we Sustain Tahoe! - Work as ONE WATERSHED
Geotourism Implementation Framework (GIF) for key stakeholders on how to implement and deploy Geotourism using our curriculum
TriNomics ™ provides a collaborative guide for building GeoTracks:Geotourism is an international strategy endorsed by five departments of the U.S. Department of the Interior
Our role in creating the future of tourism for Tahoe
We honor the 10,000 years of stewardship by the original people of this land. Members of the Washo and Paiute tribes have participated in these demonstrations of stewardship, as it is core to their culture.
Sustainable Tahoe role is to accelerate the adoption of responsible travel by educating, proposing, demonstrating and facilitating Geotourism (recreation stewardship travel) in the Tahoe Truckee Watershed. Our Tahoe Expo was a "Learn-by-Doing" model, so agencies, businesses and NGO’s could experience Geotourism using what we have in new ways. Our four Geotourism Stewardship Expositions encompassed 150-miles and involved collaboration by 55 to 85 NGO’s, agencies, and businesses. Unlike traditional fairs or festivals, Tahoe Expo demonstrated how to create and host a "community owned" tourism menu that was beneficial for our visitors and destination alike.
The Prosperity Plan identifies Geotourism in the ‘Visitor Satisfaction’ cluster as a key to serving long-term prosperity and water clarity.
Sustainable Tahoe role is to accelerate the adoption of responsible travel by educating, proposing, demonstrating and facilitating Geotourism (recreation stewardship travel) in the Tahoe Truckee Watershed. Our Tahoe Expo was a "Learn-by-Doing" model, so agencies, businesses and NGO’s could experience Geotourism using what we have in new ways. Our four Geotourism Stewardship Expositions encompassed 150-miles and involved collaboration by 55 to 85 NGO’s, agencies, and businesses. Unlike traditional fairs or festivals, Tahoe Expo demonstrated how to create and host a "community owned" tourism menu that was beneficial for our visitors and destination alike.
The Prosperity Plan identifies Geotourism in the ‘Visitor Satisfaction’ cluster as a key to serving long-term prosperity and water clarity.
Collaboration
- Learn from others.
The Northeast Kingdom shares similar assets and challenges as Tahoe, with upscale resorts to rural farming. Local leaders asked “What do you love in our destination and not want to lose?" and "What is one thing you are willing to do to help sustain the destination?” This focused efforts from competing to collaborating. They changed their marketing and menu items to highlight unique assets that attracted visitors to stay longer and explore more; return sooner and share new exciting stories. - Sustainability Innovators. David Hansen helped Embassy Suites save $400K a year by implementing energy monitoring, composting and other measures in sustainability. He shared this turn-around model at our 2010 Stewardship Congress to raise awareness and motivate others to lead-by-example. 2010 Stewardship Congress-Speaker summaries
- Learn-By-Doing Sustainable Tahoe facilitated a collaboration with Business, college and resort.
Students from Sierra Nevada College created a Geotourism recreation program for a resort to help increase their revenues. San Jose State University students submitted Geotourism Adventure ideas: SJSU student created GeoTrack - TriNomics™: a collaborative model designed by Sheri Woodsgreen CEO of WISE Ventures .
We adopted TriNomics™ : .ORG; .GOV; and .COM to ensure adventures had buy-in from all stakeholders.
- Non-Profit - .Org: guides the Geotour adventures to enrich the visitors understanding and protect nature.
- Agencies - .Gov: offers grants and access to sensitive or remote areas.
- Business - .Com: provides and supports "Eat | Sleep | Shop | Play" for the destination visitors.
The need for Geotourism was further confirmed and endorsed by U.S. Vice President Al Gore at the 2013 Tahoe Executive Summit when he said,
“The future will look at this Lake and either ask, Why didn’t you do something?….or.... How did you do this?”
If we succeed in protecting Lake Tahoe and the Watershed, our answer will be,
"We found a way to make political collaboration a renewable resource!”
