Taylor Tallac Aquatic Invasive Species Removal

Project Partners: USDA Forest Service, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency

Total Project Cost: $3,470,000

Funds Granted: $100,000

This collaborative effort to remove 17 acres of invasive plants in the Taylor and Tallac creeks and marshes is the largest Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) project to date in the Tahoe Basin. This area has one of the highest concentrations of invasive species anywhere around the lake. Eurasian watermilfoil is the major plant species being released into the lake from these creeks. Left unchecked, aquatic invasive plants can have devastating effects on Tahoe’s ecosystem and recreational resources.

Bottom barriers were installed three years ago on the bottom of the marsh to starve the plants of sunshine and eradicate them. Now that the restoration was successful, crews will be removing barriers through spring 2025. This project is part of a larger effort by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and the US Forest Service to restore of one of the last natural wetlands in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Wetlands help natural landscapes provide resiliency in the wake of climate change by filtering runoff and other pollutants.

The Tahoe Fund was pleased to provide $100,000 to close the funding gap on this important project.