This is our last episode of TahoeLand. I know, it’s really sad. But this season has come to an end. And to celebrate, we hosted a live podcast taping in South Lake. This is a shorter version of that 90-minute event.

We invited listeners to join us at a resort called Edgewood Tahoe. There were these floor-to-ceiling windows that revealed a panorama of the lake.

This live version of TahoeLand is a little different — and a little longer — than our other episodes. You’ll hear from scientists, city leaders and a story or two from locals who feel they’ve been left out of the climate-crisis conversation. I hope you enjoy it.

A common theme CapRadio’s Ezra David Romero hears while hanging out in Tahoe is residents disappointed that their elected official in Congress does not believe in human-caused climate change. If 97 percent of climate scientists agree that climate-warming trends over the past century are very likely due to human activities, why aren’t politicians doing more about it? 

This perceived disconnect has caused people you wouldn't expect to jump into the political game and run for local office. And they’re running under the banner of doing something about climate change.

But don’t worry: This episode doesn’t go too far into the weeds when it comes to politics. It is also about seeing the lake differently. What if we thought of Lake Tahoe as part of our identity, instead of just a place we visit?

Climate change is impacting everyday life for Lake Tahoe’s locals: Rich and poor, old timers and newcomers. These year-round residents, whose jobs are often to make sure tourists enjoy Tahoe, are being forced to adapt in order to make it. For some, it's heart wrenching. But for others, it’s giving them a new vision for Tahoe’s future.

Climate change isn’t just altering how people experience Lake Tahoe, it’s also impacting animals. And perhaps the most prominent victim are the kings of the forest: bears. 

Part of the problem is there is not a top-down, unified approach for how to keep black bears out of our garbage and trash. Our leftovers and waste lead to human-bear interactions — and that’s ultimately bad news for bears.

Bears in Tahoe are also hibernating less — if at all. And it’s not just the black bears feeling the impact of climate change — polar bears, grizzlies and other bears around the world are at risk. 

Invasive shrimp are threatening Lake Tahoe. These are not the big white and orange crustaceans you get in a taco or on top of pasta. They’re called Mysis shrimp, and they’re voracious invaders that threaten Tahoe’s blue hue. If they stay and multiply, it’ll be hard to keep Tahoe from turning green. But if we remove them, they might also help other communities unlock climate change solutions.

And the shrimp aren’t alone. They are joined by other invasive species, including three pound goldfish and cannibalistic bullfrogs.

Lake Tahoe is perhaps the most popular lake in the West. It sits at around 7,000 feet and attracts some 29 million visitors a year — more than three times Yosemite and Yellowstone national parks combined. What people don’t know is that the lake’s blue hue is also a barometer of how climate change is impacting our world.  

Lake Tahoe is a jewel in the Sierra Nevada that attracts more visitors annually than Disneyland. But climate change threatens to transform the region by the century’s end.

In Capital Public Radio’s TahoeLand podcast, host Ezra David Romero takes us into the mountains to explore how Tahoe is a unique petri dish for climate-science research — and how it holds lessons that will help us confront the global climate crisis. Episodes coming August 8.

For more than four decades, the Ahwahneechee people — the Native Americans with ties to Yosemite Valley — had no place to call home. Now, one of their villages is being resurrected.

In this episode, Ezra meets with elders who say park service workers burned down their homes. They also discuss how they hope to preserve their heritage for future generations. During his reporting, Ezra realizes Yosemite is more than a cool hiking destination: It’s a very spiritual place.

It's peak tourist season, but the most popular spot in Yosemite is eerily quiet. There are no hikers on trails or climbers on cliffs in the Valley. For the first time in nearly 30 years, a wildfire has closed major portions of the park due to heavy smoke. Yosemite Valley will remain shut indefinitely.

In this episode, Ezra looks at the future of fire in Yosemite. He hikes with a scientist studying how climate change could drastically transform its landscape, talks with the park's first female fire chief, and learns about life growing up in a fire zone.

In this episode, Ezra chats with rock climbing legends, explores how gyms are diversifying who climbs, and gets out on the rock near Glacier Point. He also talks with women climbers who are leading the way.

In a previous version of this episode Ezra mislabeled Ryan Leahy and Caitlin Lee-Roney’s titles. They have been corrected. Ryan Leahy is a wildlife biologist in the park, and Caitlin Lee-Roney is the lead wildlife biologist for Yosemite National Park.

In a previous version of this episode Ezra mispronounced Kara Stella’s name and title. It’s been corrected. She is a ranger.