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South Lake Tahoe, Calif.—June 18, 2026—The California Tahoe Conservancy Board approved a pair of projects at Van Sickle Bi-State Park to improve visitor safety, connect the park to nearby neighborhoods and the Nevada state line with new shared-use trails, expand amenities, and improve access for all. The improvements help further a 2019 vision plan for the park, which the Conservancy co-manages with the Nevada Division of State Parks.
The two projects include:
- a new 0.4-mile, paved, shared-use trail connecting the park entrance to the California day use area and the state line,
- a park entrance plaza and two new picnic areas,
- a state line monument,
- stormwater and snow storage improvements,
- wayfinding signage,
- interpretive exhibits,
- a 0.35-mile segment of the Dennis T. Machida Memorial Greenway to connect park trails to a nearby neighborhood.
Ward Creek Restoration Project
The Board also approved up to $500,000 in funding to restore Ward Creek where it crosses Conservancy and federal land. The Conservancy and the Forest Service, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) have been working together on the Ward Creek Restoration Project. The Board authorized $200,000 for the Conservancy to finish design and permitting, and $300,000 to the LTBMU to implement the project. Funding comes from Proposition 4, the Climate Bond, which California voters passed in 2024.
Ward Creek flows into Lake Tahoe on the west shore south of Tahoe City. The creek is the Lake’s fourth largest tributary. Popular trailheads for the Tahoe Rim Trail and Stanford Rock Trail are just upstream and downstream of the project area, respectively.
Logging and grazing in the watershed, along with associated roads and ditches, impaired the creek and its floodplain. These historic impacts led to an oversized channel, localized streambank erosion, degraded aquatic habitat, and drier floodplain conditions. These factors, along with decades of fire suppression, also led to conifers encroaching on the floodplain and an increased risk of wildfire.
The LTMBU will take multiple restoration actions across 36 acres of federal and Conservancy land:
- remove encroaching conifers to expand meadow habitat and reduce wildfire risk;
- remove the remnants of old, abandoned forest roads and ditches to slow and spread creek flows out of the channel to the floodplain during peak spring runoff, and capture sediment before it reaches Lake Tahoe; and
- construct a variety of wood and vegetation features in the creek and along the creek banks to improve aquatic habitat and further slow creek flow.
“There’s much to celebrate about the partnership to restore Ward Creek and its floodplain,” said Conservancy Board Chair and Placer County Supervisor Cindy Gustafson. “This EIP project will increase climate resilience, enhance wildlife habitat and biodiversity, and improve water quality for a major tributary to Lake Tahoe.”
At the same meeting, Conservancy staff updated the Board on the major sources of greenhouse gas emissions from Conservancy operations, and the Board and staff discussed opportunities to further combat climate change by reducing emissions.
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About the California Tahoe Conservancy: The California Tahoe Conservancy is a state agency, established in 1984, with a mission to lead California’s efforts to restore and enhance the extraordinary natural and recreational resources of the Lake Tahoe Basin. Learn more at tahoe.ca.gov.
About the EIP: Since 1997, the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program (EIP) has been the driving force behind the basin’s environmental restoration. From restoring meadows to improving bike and pedestrian paths, the EIP drives investments in projects that protect water quality, reduce wildfire risk, restore ecosystems, and support sustainable recreation. With the support of federal, state, and local agencies, the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, scientists, and the private sector, the EIP is one of the most successful large-scale conservation programs in the nation. For more information, visit restoretahoe.org.
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