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TAHOE CITY, Calif. – After amassing nearly 50 years of institutional knowledge about Lake Tahoe’s environment, retired Tahoe City Public Utilities District engineering consultant David Antonucci decided to write a book about everything he’s learned.
An Environmental History of Lake Tahoe takes an in-depth look at the history of Lake Tahoe, beginning with its indigenous peoples to pioneering modern decisions that have shaped the lake’s environment.
Antonucci has lived on the west shore of Lake Tahoe in Tahoma for 47 years. His career began in 1973 and included senior management and strategic positions in the public sector. He oversaw Lake Tahoe water pollution enforcement for the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board from 1975-1980.
For 20 years, he managed the Tahoe City Public Utilities District responsible for water, sewer, parks and recreation services. Then he worked as an environmental consultant.
“I had a lot of background in the environment and history of Lake Tahoe, both as a participant and as an observer,” Antonucci said. “So, a lot of what’s in the 1975 book are events and developments that I witnessed firsthand and weren’t necessarily reported anywhere.
Antonucci said the book begins by looking at the Washoe people and looking at their relationship with the environment. Then it looks to the 1860s, when loggers, hoteliers, ranchers, developers and tourists staked their claim on Tahoe’s resources, changing it forever for the generations that followed.
It also looks at the creation of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, why Lake Tahoe is not a state park, and the impact the 1960s Olympics had on the lake area.
“What I wanted to do was explain how we got to where we are today,” Antonucci said.
He went on to say that he felt most Lake Tahoe history books leave out the environmental history, which is so important to what makes the basin special.
The book can be purchased at Word After Word in Truckee or on Amazon.
Antonucci is also the author of Snowball’s Chance – The Story of the 1960 Olympics, The 1960 Winter Olympics and Fairest Picture – Mark Twain at Lake Tahoe.
To learn more about Antonucci, visit http://www.tahoefacts.com/.
