Lake Tahoe Basin Research Paper

Kyle Lisenbee
Professor Bailey, Shawn
ENV 160 201
17 July 2016
The Lake Tahoe Basin
Of all the large, pristine, and crystal-clear lakes in the United States, Lake Tahoe is one of the most well-known. Nestled high up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the border between California and Nevada bisects the lake, creating a shared ecological wonder between the two states. The Lake Tahoe Basin forms a natural bioregion, a depression in the land with boundaries that extend from the shore line of the lake to the immediate mountain peaks surrounding it. Formed over the course of many-millions of years, faulting in the area originally created the basin that now holds the lake. Glacial activity combined with volcanic activity further shaped and carved out
Needless to say, news spread quickly and a large migration of people of all trades filled the area, wreaking havoc on the environment. To support the stark rise in population and needs of the newly founded mining industry, the Tahoe Basin held the most abundant and accessible natural resources. Of these resources, timber proved to be the most vital. Under the Homestead Act of 1864, the Preemption Act of 1841, and the Timber and Stone Act of 1878, large timber companies gained ownership of land through loopholes and blatant disregard for law. Individuals who came to own land in the Lake Tahoe Basin found it considerably more profitable to sell their land rights despite oaths and prohibitions to do so. Land disappeared quickly and in an 1879 testimony, D.L. Bliss
Most of our lands are around Lake Tahoe… We have title to most all of it. We have adopted the practice of buying the land, cutting off the timber, and then abandoning it, in order not to have to pay taxes on the land. The land in Nevada was located by the State. We got parties to take it from the State — 320 acres each. We didn't lay in scrip in this State. All the land we got in this State was selected by the State, and we had no difficulty in getting our