Kokanee salmon normally make their way from Lake Tahoe to Taylor Creek this time of year to spawn. Thanks to climate change, the fish will have to find another route instead.

A combination of climate change and an ongoing drought have led to Lake Tahoe’s waters receding below the natural rim of 6,223 feet and continuing to plummet. This has stranded the lake so that its waters no longer flow to the Truckee River. Lake Tahoe is now considered “terminal” because it no longer has an outlet.

Conditions have impacted nearby waterways like Fallen Leaf Lake, which is connected to Lake Tahoe by Taylor Creek. Normally during salmon spawning season, the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit boosts the flow of water from Fallen Leaf Lake to Taylor Creek, encouraging salmon to spawn there. Low water levels have rendered this nearly impossible and forced the Forest Service to cancel its annual […]