License Plates Would Fund Tahoe Environmental Work

Time is running out on an opportunity for lovers of Lake Tahoe that's hard to beat. The first 5,000 Californians to purchase a new $50 state license plate featuring a multi-colored picture of Lake Tahoe and snow-capped mountains will receive three free ski lift tickets worth $120.

License plate supporters can choose a lift ticket package for either Heavenly Valley, Kirkwood and Sierra-at-Tahoe in the South Lake Tahoe area, or Alpine Meadows, Squaw Valley USA, and Northstar-at-Tahoe in the North Lake Tahoe area.

Proceeds from license plate sales will pay for environmental and recreational improvement projects around Lake Tahoe, including wetlands restoration, erosion control, habitat protection, and hiking and bicycle trails. Work will be done by the state Tahoe Conservancy.

But the Department of Motor Vehicles will not manufacture the Lake Tahoe plates, and no one will receive free ski lift tickets, unless 5,000 plates are sold by Oct. 11. To order yours, call 916-542-6006, or write Tahoe License Plate Fund, c/o Truckee River Bank, P.O. Box 61000, Truckee, CA 96160. Order forms and information about the Tahoe Conservancy are available on-line through the California Environmental Resources Evaluation System (CERES), on the World Wide Web/Internet at http://ceres.ca.gov/tahoecons/ctc.html.