Letter to Hon. Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture - Cortez Masto Calls on the Biden Administration to Address Staffing Issues at Lake Tahoe

Letter

Dear Secretary Vilsack:

Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America, and is truly a national treasure. As you
know, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) manages more than 75% of the land in the Lake Tahoe
Basin and plays a central role in protecting and restoring the basin in partnership with the states
of Nevada and California, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, local governments, and private
and non-profit sector partners. We would like to make you aware of two emerging concerns
where your leadership and attention would help ensure continued success for the region:
recruiting and retaining senior USFS leadership and reestablishing the Lake Tahoe Basin Federal
Advisory Committee (LTBFAC).

USFS' Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) was created in 1973 and has served the
region well in managing the unique needs of Lake Tahoe, including forest health, recreation, and
wildfire threats. For nearly 50 years, LTBMU has seen a number of transformative Forest
Supervisors at its helm. However, the increased attrition rate of LTBMU senior leadership is
concerning. While we were pleased to see the appointment of Erick Walker as the new Forest
Supervisor, his appointment came after the second search for a new Supervisor in recent years.
We would like to work with you and the Service to explore opportunities to maintain the unique
role and stature of the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, including making Forest Service
positions more attractive for future applicants looking to take on and stay in these important roles
for the long-term.

Additionally, we are concerned that the Lake Tahoe Basin Federal Advisory Committee
(LTBFAC), which served as a national model for how engaged citizens can collaborate with
federal, state, tribal, and local partners to establish consensus on issues, was allowed to expire in
2017. As the community continues to work together to address the environmental and economic
challenges in the region, we urge you and USFS to quickly reestablish the LTBFAC.

The LTBFAC is a vital component of public engagement in decisions affecting the region and a
key resource during LTBMU leadership transition. No other structure exists that enables a broad
representation of local, regional, tribal, and federal interests to provide the kind of advice the
Federal Interagency Partnership needs. The LTBFAC was first established by the Secretary of
Agriculture and chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) on July
17, 1998 in order to provide advice based on the consensus of its members to the Federal
Interagency Partnership established by Executive Order 13057.

The LTBFAC worked cooperatively to help protect the extraordinary natural, recreational, and
ecological resources in the Lake Tahoe Region and decided how to facilitate the integration and
coordination of appropriate federal programs and funds to help achieve the goals of the Lake
Tahoe Regional Environmental Improvement Program (EIP). The EIP is codified as the region's
capital investment program to achieve environmental standards designed to protect the region's
environment and economy set forth in the Tahoe Regional Planning Compact (PL-96-551 as
amended).

The LTBFAC also played a vital role in developing consensus for the Tahoe program funding
from the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA). The LTBFAC was
identified by the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act (Pub. L. No. 106-506) and the implementation
agreement for the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998 (Pub. L. No. 105-263)
as essential in providing advice and recommendations. In the absence of an active federal
advisory committee, regional stakeholders are no longer able to collaborate on prioritizing
projects for SNPLMA in any official way resembling an advisory committee.

Lake Tahoe is a scenic and ecological treasure and we need strong stewardship to protect it into
the future. We urge you to prioritize the recruitment and retention of senior leadership at the
LTBMU as well as reestablishing the LTBFAC so the community can better collaborate on the
most pressing issues and thrive for generations to come.

Thank you for your consideration and we look forward to receiving your response.

Sincerely,